Fukuoka JALT:

Blended Learning with Student Smartphones and iPhones

Date: Saturday, April 25th, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Speaker: Ian Brown (Matsuyama University)

Description:
Blended-learning, the mix of face-to-face teaching and CALL, has grown in popularity with the rise of CALL and computers. However one impediment has always been the need for computers and computer labs. Now with the spread of smartphones and iPhones reaching saturation point, students have effectively powerful Internet connected computers in their pockets, ideal for blended learning in any classroom. With students these days having more access and familiarity with mobiles over computers, Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) is rapidly developing, even overtaking computers in language learning. This workshop presentation will demonstrate some of the ways to use students' mobile devices in the language classroom. The mobile phone use is centred around class 'Home' sites, mobile friendly LMSs, containing class information and links to online activities. The presentation will demonstrate the setup of such a home site and then show how class information, and some activities such as tests, audio links, discussion boards and voice recording of presentations or dialogues can be used in the classroom through the smartphones and iPhones. The mobile device use supplements the face-to-face teaching in a blended learning approach and can be used in conjunction with any regular textbook. It is only used when technology has advantages in language learning over traditional methods and these advantages will be highlighted and demonstrated in the presentation. Rather than being the distraction to learning in the classroom that disturb teachers, students' smartphones and iPhones can be a boon to learning!

ELT means English Language Teaching. The ELT Calendar contains information about conferences, conventions, workshops, presentations and other events of professional interest to teachers of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) in Japan, and the research communities of SLA (Second Language Acquisition), TESOL (Teaching English as a Second or Other Language), TEFL (Teaching English as a Foriegn Language) and others relevant to language learning and teaching English in Japan.